FDA Claims Walnuts to be Illegal Drugs | Government Lunacy at its Best

Well the Food and Drug Administration has really made a name for themselves this time. In response to claims by a company named Diamond Foods that
walnuts possess health benefits, the FDA sent the company a letter informing them of their wrongdoing. What did Diamond Foods do wrong? According to
the FDA, claims made by Diamond Foods that omega-3′s found in walnuts produce health benefits make their walnuts "drugs". As far as the FDA is
concerned, these "drugs" can not be legally marketed in the United States without an approved new drug application.

FDA Actions Portray Government Lunacy at its Best

It seems bureaucratic tyranny is really taking shape in America. Despite 35 peer-reviewed published papers showing that walnuts improve vascular
health and promote heart function being held in the US National Library of Medicine database, the FDA refuses to allow Diamond Foods to make such
claims. The evidence revolving around the benefits of walnuts evidently must be authorized by the FDA before those benefits can even be marketed. A
letter sent to the company from the FDA states:

"We have determined that your walnut products are promoted for conditions that cause them to be drugs because these products are intended for use
in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease."

Well, ummm...

So what do we do when Walnuts are illegal? Are we going to have dealers like we do now with drugs? Are the going to be gang wars on who they sell
their walnuts too?

Sorry about that? This is ludicrous. Things are becoming more and more crazy as time goes by, but, this one is insane. I wanted to share it with all
of you because, hopefully, you find it as insane as I do.

I bought bags of shelled walnuts within the past two weeks. I don't think walnuts have been made illegal, but perhaps Diamond was reprimanded for
labeling them as having health benefits. I believe Cheerios got the same treatment.

Any "source" I can actually find on this is a health foods or other natural living type site.

Product Label Further, your "Diamond of California Shelled Walnut" product is misbranded under section 403(r)(1)(B) of the Act [21 U.S.C. §
343(r)(1)(B)] in that your product bears health claims that are not authorized by the FDA. The front and back of your product label bears the phrase
"OMEGA 3 2.5 g per serving." Within the context of this label, the heart symbols adjacent to information about the amount of omega-3 in the product,
constitute implied health claims about consumption of omega-3 and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease [21 CFR 101. 14(a)]. The back of your
product label also bears the following statement: "The omega-3 in walnuts can help you get the proper balance of fatty acids your body needs for
promoting and maintaining heart health. In fact, according to the Food and Drug Administration, supportive but not conclusive research shows that
eating 1.5 oz of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet, and not resulting in increased caloric intake, may reduce
the risk of coronary heart disease. Please refer to nutrition information for fat content and other details about the nutritional profile of walnuts."
Although FDA exercises enforcement discretion over the last two sentences of this statement, which meet the criteria for a qualified health claim for
walnuts and coronary heart disease, the last two sentences read in conjunction with the first sentence makes the entire statement an unauthorized
health claim. The statement suggests that the evidence supporting a relationship between walnuts and coronary heart disease is related to the omega-3
fatty acid content of walnuts. There is not sufficient evidence to identify a biologically active substance in walnuts that reduces the risk of CHD.
Therefore, the above statement is an unauthorized health claim. This letter is not intended to be an inclusive review of your products and their
labeling. It is your responsibility to ensure that all of your products comply with the Act and its implementing regulations. You should take prompt
action to correct these violations. Failure to do so may result in regulatory action without further notice. Such action may include, but is not
limited to, seizure or injunction. Please respond in writing within 15 working days from your receipt of this letter. Your response should outline the
specific actions you are taking to correct these violations and to prevent similar violations. You should include in your response documentation such
as revised labels or other useful information that would assist us in evaluating your corrections. If you cannot complete all corrections before you
respond, we expect that you will explain the reason for the delay and state when you will correct any remaining violations.

Sensationalist nonsense - the FDA is telling Diamond Foods to correct the label on their product because there is not sufficient evidence to support
Diamond's claim that it lowers your risk of coronary heart disease.

"You can't believe everything you hear, the diegetic world is so unclear.."

Hey, at least the OP will get a ton of stars and flags - so it wasn't a complete waste of time!

Last year I went shopping at my local grocery chain, and I noticed the labelling when I bought a package of walnuts. The thought occurred to me at the
time "I wonder when the FDA will label this as a drug because of the claimed health benefits." Low and behold, here it is. I imagine that the FDA is
just going to require them to relabel all of their stock. If that's the case, you can be sure the price of walnuts will be skyrocketing. I even
thought about emailing the company to tell them about their labelling, now I kind of regret not doing so...

I thought about posting and sharing my outrage over this, but as fate would have it I just ate a small bag of walnuts and am now zonked and stoned
beyond all imagination. I just can't think straight when I am stoned on walnuts.

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